Marketing tips
Build your holiday rental brand with Direct Bookings
12 Sept 2025
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By Amanda Sanders
For many UK holiday rental hosts, most bookings come through third-party platforms. These are great for exposure, but they also limit your control, charge commission, and restrict access to guest data. If you’re serious about building a long-term, profitable business, developing your own brand and capturing more direct bookings is key. You don’t need a complex website to get started. A well-branded presence combined with a sharable, commission-free booking page can go a long way in helping you grow guest loyalty and increase revenue.
Why your brand matters
Your brand isn’t just your logo or a catchy name. It’s what guests remember about your stay, how your home is presented online, and the impression you leave. A strong brand builds trust, sets expectations, and makes you more memorable than the average listing.
Think about what makes your property special. It could be the location, décor, views, or the personal touches you offer. Highlight those consistently across your online presence, from your listing page to your welcome emails.
Host tip:
Choose a name for your property or collection of properties. Use it across your social media, emails, and guest communications to start building recognition.
How Travelnest works:
Travelnest’s on-hand support and Property Experts offer one-to-one advice to help you define your brand. They’ll support you with listing optimisation, pricing and amenities so your property stands out to the right guests.
Use a booking page that works hard for you
Creating a custom-built website isn’t always necessary. What matters is having a professional, easy-to-use page where guests can book directly. That’s where your Travelnest Direct page comes in.
Each Travelnest property has its own standalone page with clear photos, descriptions, real-time pricing and availability, and a commission-free booking option. You can link to this page from your social media, email signature or even your own website.
Host tip:
If you already have a basic website or business page, add a “Book Now” button that links directly to your Travelnest Direct listing.
How Travelnest works:
Travelnest Direct provides you with a dedicated, SEO-friendly listing page for each property. It’s mobile-friendly and automatically updates with your latest pricing and availability, so you never have to manually change it.
Build guest trust with social proof and clear info
First impressions matter. Whether it’s on your own site, social media or Travelnest Direct page, what guests see first can influence their decision to book.
Include:
High-quality photos
Guest reviews
A warm and welcoming intro
Clear house rules and cancellation policy
These help set expectations and reassure guests they’re booking a professional and trustworthy property.
Host tip:
Add a short “Why book direct?” section near your booking link. Mention benefits like best rates, direct contact, or flexible terms.
How Travelnest works:
Travelnest pulls in your latest reviews from connected channels and displays them on your Travelnest Direct page. These refresh automatically and help you build trust with new guests over time.
Turn first-time guests into return guests
When you accept direct bookings, you can start building long-term guest relationships. Unlike OTA bookings, direct guests are more likely to return, refer others, and stay in touch.
Use the opportunity to:
Collect guest emails during the booking or stay
Offer return-guest discounts
Send a follow-up thank-you message after checkout
Even a small loyalty effort can go a long way.
Host tip:
Create a short guest welcome guide in PDF format and include your booking link so they can easily rebook or share with friends.
How Travelnest works:
With guest messaging, you can send custom messages to guests before, during and after their stay. It’s a great way to build rapport, encourage rebookings, and collect valuable feedback.
Keep it simple behind the scenes
Managing direct bookings doesn’t mean more admin. In fact, it should reduce your reliance on third parties and save you money. But to make it work, you need to ensure your calendars and pricing stay up to date.
Using a central platform to manage all your bookings keeps everything in sync and reduces the risk of double bookings or missed updates.
Host tip:
Set a monthly reminder to check your pricing and availability, especially during seasonal shifts or local events.
How Travelnest works:
Travelnest automatically syncs your availability, pricing and bookings across all selected channels as well as your direct booking pages. You can also use calendar sync to connect your external calendars with Travelnest and keep everything aligned.
Final thoughts
You don’t need to be a marketing expert to build a direct booking strategy. With a clear brand and a sharable, professional booking page, you can boost your visibility, reduce commission costs, and build stronger guest relationships. Travelnest makes it easy with expert support and tools designed for busy hosts.
Ready to boost your bookings this season?
If you’re new to Travelnest, you can create your free account here and start attracting more guests across 30+ booking channels. Already a customer? Log in to your account to update your listing, manage your calendar, and optimise your performance today.
